Ryan Day finally ended his unfortunate streak against the Wolverines last Saturday. Beating Michigan checked off just one task. The Big 10 title is yet to be won. On Saturday, the Buckeyes can’t wait to get it off their laundry list.

“We want to finish off this thing the right way,” HC Day shared in a conversation with Dave Holmes on Friday night. “These guys know that this is on the list of things we want to get done this year. We’ve talked about it before.”

For the first time ever, college football will witness two 12-0 teams battling each other for the Big 10 title. The Buckeyes won the 2024 national championship. But losses to Michigan and Oregon derailed their conference title hopes. And this season is different. Coming off 12-0 and a -3.5 spread, they are the favorites to win the game. The last time Ohio State won the conference title was in 2020. If they beat the No. 2 Hoosiers, they will break the four-year conference title drought at Columbus.

However, among the many other reasons, Ryan Day is focused on receiving the No. 1 seed in the college football playoffs. Not that the outcome of the game will result in playoff implications for either of the programs. But for Day & Co., winning is the culture. And certainly, no one minds the sweeter path a No. 1 seed offers in the postseason.

“We want to be the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs,” the head coach added. “One of our goals is to win the Big 10 Championship. You feel like when you have momentum. We want to keep it. So we want to do that. And it’s a great opponent.”

The Buckeyes are coming off the most intense football rivalry against Michigan. Their defense smoked the Wolverines, 27-9, barely letting QB Bryce Underwood have a go at the aerial attack (allowed just 63 yards). HC Sherrone Moore’s offense has relied heavily on ground attack with 32 touchdowns so far. But the Buckeyes stuffed them to 100 yards and zero touchdowns.

Ryan Day gets candid on Indiana

Coming off an undefeated regular season, Indiana is a complete unit. QB Fernando Mendoza’s accurate throws have barely allowed five interceptions so far.

“This is the No. 2 team in the country right now,” Day said on his weekly radio appearance on Thursday. “They’re undefeated. I think they’re playing as good as anybody in the country. They have a really good team, and we got to be ready to go.”

However, the Buckeyes boast the No. 1 defense, armed with at least four 2026 NFL Draft prospects in Matt Patricia’s unit. With safety Caleb Downs in the defensive backfield, OSU will make sure to throttle Indiana’s passing game. On the other side of the ball, Julian Sayin has explosive weapons in Heisman-caliber Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, along with freshman Bo Jackson in the backfield.

The Big Ten matchup will not have major playoff consequences for either program. Both of them are likely getting a bye in the first round. However, the winner of the game between Sayin and Mendoza will likely secure the Heisman in New York.

“I’m not worried about it,” Sayin answered WBNS reporter Nicole Shearin on Thursday. “We’re worried about, you know, we’re worried about going to win this game, and we’re excited about the matchup, and we’re worried about going and winning this game and doing everything we can to win it.”

Lucas Oil Stadium has already seen a 2000% spike in ticket prices. It will be interesting to note how the saga unfolds on Saturday in Indianapolis.